


Chaldea Master’s Shadow

by YunaBlaze



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Lostbelt, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22592575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunaBlaze/pseuds/YunaBlaze
Summary: Chaldea did what it always did best even with horrible threats or sad tidings on the horizon, everyone would throw one huge party that would be remembered by all. After all, preparing special events were as much their specialty as their duty to safeguard humanity!Yet, while everyone is enjoying the party to the fullest, Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart was not entirely focused on the festivity that surrounded him and only his shadow noticed that.
Relationships: Fujimaru Ritsuka/Hassan-i-Sabbah | Assassin, Hassan of the Cursed Arm | Assassin/Fujimaru Ritsuka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	Chaldea Master’s Shadow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jaclynhyde](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaclynhyde/gifts).



Chaldea was bursting with activities right now. After all, today was the last night, everyone would still be together. Tomorrow, all the Servants aside from Da Vinci and Holmes would return to the Throne of Heroes, for the Incineration of Humanity had been averted and Remnants Singularities had been solved. While there were no more reason for the Servants to remain manifested in this world, Fujimaru Ritsuka wished that it was still possible for them to remain. For over two years, Chaldea had become his second home and its inhabitants, both humans and spirits, were his family. They laughed, cried and fought together for so long that it saddened Ritsuka greatly that he would no longer have the chance to see everyone again after tonight. Nonetheless, despite the imminent parting that would occur, everyone was making sure that tonight would be a memorable one.

The Servants who were great cooks had outdone themselves with the supplies they got, making sure that they had enough food to feed even the most gluttonous Servant in Chaldea. The Casters and any other Servants with an aptitude towards Magecraft had used their mana to transform Chaldea into a magnificent ballroom that reminded many greatly of the ballroom they had seen the previous year. Most of the Berserkers were doing all the heavy-lifting in setting up the tables and bringing out equipment. The rest of the Servants focused on either making the dashing dresses and tuxedos for everyone, settling the nerves of the more sensitive personnel, or cleaning up the rooms.

‘Thank you Phantom,’ the Master thanked his Assassin Servant as he adjusted the collar of his shirt slightly. Erik, Fran and Vlad had worked in a fast and efficient manner, despite how little time they had actually spent on their hobby. They had designed and sewed up the clothes after other Servants had made the fabric and cut up the parts for them.

‘Ah Christine, Christine, my beloved Christine! How you shine tonight! Tonight your voice shall reach every single soul!’ Phantom declared dramatically as he usually did.

Ritsuka chuckled lightly at the grandiose compliment from Erik as he checked himself one last time in front of the mirror. His tuxedo jacket was dark navy blue with silver trim and the motif of Chaldea was sewed stylishly on his left chest pocket, a matching colour trousers with the Grand Order symbol running down the sides. A black waistcoat with intricate floral patterns covering his white silky shirt. A pair of brightly polished black leather shoes to finish things off. His whole outfit was made of the best materials and crafted from the best hands his Servants could provide, he also got the feeling that this outfit probably had several blessings on it, seeing it felt almost like a Mystic Code. A small smile tugged at his lips before he left the dressing room to join the party.

As the Master stepped into the grand ballroom, his breath was taken away by the grandiose design. The golden ceiling filled with heavenly paintings and diamond chandeliers shone sparkling light upon all guests. Chaldea’s symbol on every banner next to tall windows that displayed a clear night sky. It felt almost like a picturesque dream from a fairy tale, where a lowly commoner had somehow managed to find himself in a grand royal ball. He was soon snapped out of his awestruck by someone calling out his name, looking down from the ceiling to search for the person, easily finding the younger Servants calling for his attention as they rushed towards him. Ritsuka chuckled lightly as he allowed himself to be dragged towards the dance floor by Jack, Nursery and Lily Jeanne who demanded him to join their dance.

Despite being their last day within the walls of Chaldea, each Servant certainly desired his attention and he indulged each of them, even the crazed obsessive ones who he usually kept a huge amount of distance from, for safety reason. The Master wanted every single one of his Servants to enjoy themselves until the time of parting arrived.

He had completely lost track of time as he was more or less being thrown from one Servant to the next, the discussions ranged from heartfelt congratulations to tearful farewells, as well as final gifts and advices. As each Servant left his side to enjoy the party, the weight on his chest grew heavier and it was slowly suffocating him from the inside. He put a hand over his chest, hoping the action would at least lessen the feeling slightly, though his heart continued to pound its nervous rhythm. Shadow seemed to be creeping into his vision as he stared at all the blurry faces in the ballroom. He couldn’t breathe...

Ritsuka felt a hand covered his shoulder and gently directed him to a door. He allowed himself to be guided out of the ballroom by whoever it was. The person took him to a quiet and secluded corner in the hallway, where Mash would usually sit to stare out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sky that was hidden behind the blizzard. The place calmed him and slowly he felt the brewing panic in his chest started to ease.

‘Lord Mage?’

Blue eyes soon refocused and they looked at the tall figure that stood over him. The sight of the person brought a smile on his lips. Hassan of the Curse Arm, his most loyal Servant. Assassin might not be the strongest out of all the Heroic Spirit, but he was one who would always accompany him as much as Mash did. Honestly, at times, Ritsuka wondered if Hassan and his kohai were in some sort secret competition of being his best retainer with one another.

‘I’m fine, Hassan,’ Ritsuka answered with a small chuckle, trying his best to summon his usual daily optimism. ‘I’m just a little tired.’

‘No, you are not just tired,’ Hassan stated simply as he knelt down before him, so that their eye level was the same.

Ah, seeing his Servant kneeling down like this reminded the Master nostalgically of their first meeting. It was not long after his and Mash’s return from the Singularity F, when Romani had suggested that they tried to gather more Servants for the upcoming battle, Ritsuka had accepted the task to summon them, using Saint Quartz as mana batteries to ease up the summoning process. Hassan of the Cursed Arm was the first to answer his call, it was shocking to open his eyes and find a dark looming figure above his own shorter body, though the shock left him when Assassin hunched down until he was at his summoner’s eye level, speaking to him respectfully as they completed the contract.

Since then, Hassan had become like a shadow of his, following him and protecting him. At first, Ritsuka could not fully understand why Hassan was so utterly loyal to him and worried about his health all the time, at least not until he had travelled to the sixth Singularity, where he had met the assassin while he was still a living human being. The journey they had shared, the sacrifice the Assassin had made and the trust that he had earned had actually made him tear up when he had finally returned to Chaldea. He had hugged Assassin who had been awaiting for his return in his room, thanking him tearfully for everything he had done to help him in their fight against the Lion King.

‘Lord Mage?’ Hassan of the Cursed Arm called out to him in worry, his non-cursed hand went to touch his Master’s forehead to check if he was running a fever.

The young Master felt heat gathering on his cheeks at the innocent little contact. He had noticed how odd he was feeling these days whenever he was with Hassan and it obvious that his Servant had also noticed his strange behaviour, but he hadn’t voiced it out loud and simply settled with paying extra attention to his health. Something which the brunet was thankful of, because he was not sure he could actually answer Hassan if he ever decided to ask.

‘I’m fine, honest,’ Ritsuka quickly blurted out as he moved his forehead out of Assassin’s hand, heart pounding as the gears in his brain went on overdrive to find a way to distract his Servant. ‘Uh, it’s nice to see you in this Spiritron Dress again!’

The brunet was actually honest with his comment. Hassan of the Cursed Arm had only worn this white-coloured getup once, but he was certainly breath-taking. The clean whiteness of his hood and gold-trimmed white robe made his skin taking on a more earthly tone, the brightness of his curse arm burned stronger and the leather accessories and deadly weapons were more ceremonial décors than actual protection. It had taken him by complete surprise when he had first seen him in that Spiritron Dress, not expecting the Assassin who usually kept his appearance worn and dark would suddenly turn into an exotic beauty that shone brightly.

‘Ah... I thought it would be nice to dress nicely for the last time,’ Hassan-i-Sabbah replied bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

The action made Ritsuka laughed softly, it was the exact same reaction as when he had first complimented how handsome Assassin looked in his unique outfit. He felt a faint flutter of the uncomfortable feeling in his chest ignited once more the word “last.” The brunet quickly tried to distract himself from his sad thoughts and took Hassan’s human hand in his own, tugging it slightly, as he cheerfully demanded, ‘Then dance with me like last time!’

It was definitely an out of the blue demand, but it was something he nonetheless loved to pull on Hassan, because the assassin would usually indulge in his ridiculous requests, so long that he wasn’t leaving messes behind him. His Servant was a sanctuary to him, because he did not expect him to act like a dignified Magus or a strong leader, allowing him to put down the brave mask he forced onto himself so that others would feel safer and letting him act like a child to relieve himself of the heavy burden he had been carrying. Not to mention the fact that he rather enjoyed pulling the taller figure into a dance, seeing he got to see a blush on the usual pitch dark skin.

‘As you wish, Lord Mage,’ Hassan replied and actually sounded confident. Unlike how Assassin had initially stuttered out his reply adorably in their first dance a year ago, apologizing for stepping on his foot, bumping into him or tripping over each other as he was learning how to dance.

Assassin carefully wrapped his cursed arm around the young Master’s waist, keeping his demonic hand from touching him as he gently took the smaller hand in his human one. The brunet held the larger hand firmly and he had to slightly stretch his other hand to rest the other’s tensed shoulder. The height difference between them was awkward, but the taller man was adaptable and soon they both started dancing to a soundless tune. Both of them moved in synch, twirling around and around in the empty hall, completely lost in their own little world. Ritsuka believed that he would be happy to remain lost in this moment forever, though it would end soon...

The heavy feeling returned once more as he slowed to a stop, eyes glancing down as he did so. The silence was no longer one of peaceful quietness. It was a familiar and suffocating kind that he had forgotten since coming to Chaldea. He was going to go... home soon...

‘Lord Mage?’ Hassan’s concerned voice slowly drew Ritsuka out of the darkness that enclosing on him.

The Master looked up, finding his eyes locked with the dark brown ones through the slits of the white skull mask. Eyes that were always warm and caring when directed towards him. He was going to lose them forever. No matter what happened to Chaldea, he would never be able to see the Servants again. His friends, his teachers, his guides, his family and...

‘Is something wrong, Lo–’

Ritsuka tugged at the white hood, pulling Assassin down and pressing their lips against each other. It was an awkward chaste kiss and the Master was sure he had bruised his nose against the mask with his rush move, but tonight was probably the last chance he could actually do something like this. Yeah, he would never admit it loudly. He had a crush on the assassin, which had slowly blossomed into something bigger and stronger over the year. Many would probably laugh at him or berate him for such foolishness, falling in love with a spirit that was not meant to exist upon completing their duty. The brunet would argue and fight against each and every single person who would say that to him, though it would never change the fact that the person he had fallen in love would soon disappear like a dream.

After all, dreams faded when morning light came. Ironic, seeing his Servant was one who had always remained in the shadow, a nightmarish wraith of a bad dream to some.

So while they were still hidden in darkness, Ritsuka wanted to give in to his selfish desire, kissing this man who had been by his side since the start of his journey to complete the Grand Order mission. He slowly pulled away, with a huge blush on his cheeks, his eyes darting around to focus on anything but Assassin’s face. Despite being masked all the time, the brunet could easily read Hassan’s hidden expressions and he preferred to avoid seeing any sign of rejection or... reciprocation.

Yes, best to keep this as a beautiful dream before it turned into a nightmare. The young man quickly slipped out of his Servant’s loose hold and turned to run away, though he never got far before the cursed arm of his Servant grabbed hold of him once more. Ah, he forgot that Servants recovered faster than normal human beings and Hassan had greater reach than average as well. He guessed it would be too good to be true if he could somehow escape that easily.

The young man yelped as he was pulled back towards Hassan, finding himself pressed against the other chest to chest with their faces just a hair breath away from each other. The closeness caused the mortal’s heart to hammer wildly in his ribcage as blue eyes stared deeply into the brown orbs through the slits of the mask. For once, Ritsuka was unsure of what his Servant might be thinking.

Before the brunet could voice out any question, a calloused hand was wrapped around the back of his neck and, with a gentle pull, Ritsuka found his lips sealed by another pair. The kiss that followed was actually far better than his abrupt one, it was tender and gentle. Its softness drew him in without a sense of urgency as Hassan deepened their kiss. As their tongue danced against one another in their mouth, Ritsuka brought his hands up to caress Assassin’s face, letting his fingers traced the edge of the skull mask and the worn skin hidden under it, relishing at the slightest shudder he drew from the taller man with his touch. His touch often lingered over the wires that kept the mask sealed over the face of a nameless man, who chose to abandon his simple life for the name of Hassan-i-Sabbah, and his fingertips ran over every faint crack and tear of the bone mask that had witnessed every battle in different Singularities.

Ritsuka felt his face burning hotly when Hassan finally pulled away, allowing him to catch his much needed breath as he rested his forehead against the mask. Well... the feelings were definitely reciprocated, tenfold.

‘Lord Ma–Ritsuka?’

Blue eyes widened in surprise as his whole attention instantly locked onto Assassin whose dark skin was flushed red. Hassan was always one who wasn’t good in discussing sensitive subjects like feelings, though expressing them through action was a whole other matter. The human’s heart beat faster when the assassin detached himself from him, nervous at the sudden distance between them, no matter how small it was. Assassin’s demonic hand moved towards his normal one, sharp fingertips took hold of the ring on his middle finger and removed it. Hassan grasped Ritsuka’s hand in a delicate manner and carefully slipped the accessory onto his ring finger.

The Master was certain that his heart was ready to jump out of his chest from the simple but meaningful action. He grasped the other’s hand tightly as he felt tears were gathering in his eyes. A while ago, Ritsuka had asked Hassan why he had kept those rings, for they provided no benefit of whatsoever and they were damaged further after each Singularity, yet the assassin refused to part with them. It was later revealed to him that the rings were the last remnants of his old life as a simple man from a poor family, a part he carried with him until the very end. For Hassan to willingly part with one of his rings, it was like he was giving the young man a fragment of himself.

‘You’ll never be alone,’ Hassan whispered reassuringly to his Master softly as he pressed their forehead together, his human hand rubbing smooth circles on the back of the brunet’s neck. Ritsuka sniffed quietly as he let the tears slipped free, allowing himself to release the emotional pressure he had been holding back while his Servant continued to comfort him.

Silence settled between them once more, the only sounds came from the human’s faint sobs.

‘Hanam.’

‘Huh?’ the Master intoned questioningly as he stared back at his Servant.

‘Hanam. That was the name I was born with. Before I abandoned it for the title of Hassan-i-Sabbah,’ Assassin clarified, a faint smile tugged at his lips. ‘It was thanks to you that I found strength in it once more.’

‘Hanam,’ the young man repeated the name, testing it on the tip of his tongue.

‘Remember it, Ritsuka,’ Hanam said softly, bringing his hand back to cup his cheek. ‘I’ll be waiting to hear it from you in the future.’

The brunet stared at Hanam in confusion, not understanding what he meant by that before he slowly realized that his Servant was leaving behind catalysts for him to use in the future. Assassin thought–no–BELIEVED they would meet again. The human laughed softly through his tears as he leaned into the hand that caressed his cheek and brought his own hand to cover the larger one. Yes... This was nothing but a temporary parting. After all, not even the strongest and brightest light could ever truly extinguish a shadow.

Hope sparkled once more in Ritsuka’s heart and he started to look forward to the future instead of dreading it.

Ritsuka leaned forward and kissed Hanam. A thousand words and a thousand vows were poured into one single kiss between them. A voiceless promise to share them when they would be reunited in the future.


End file.
